GodBlogCon: Wrap-Up

Update (5:02 p.m.): I really could get used to this blogging stuff.

Tomorrow I’m speaking on a panel about how blogging has affected the news business. The Leadership Institute invited a New York Times reporter to talk about it from the mainstream media perspective, and two other bloggers and myself will discuss the topic as bloggers. Mark Tapscott, Washington Examiner opinion editor and blogger, will take both sides, I suppose. I’ll write it up next week. After this panel and this event (and I celebrate my three-year blogiversary the day after the mid-term elections), I think I’ll take a few days off and do…nothing!
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This time last week I was in California for the second annual God Blog Conference in La Mirada, California. See previous post, GodBlogCon: Blogging Out Loud.

Last year I led a breakout session on blogging while Christian. This year I got to share a panel with Christians and bloggers like Charmaine Yoest (pictured above in the center; Stacy Harp on the left), Mark D. Roberts, John Mark Reynolds, Hugh Hewitt, and Joe Carter. I even had my own personal assistant. For some reason, the organizers thought it was my first time at Biola University, so they assigned an undergrad to help me out. Katelyn Statton was so helpful and thoughtful. I could get used to having a personal assistant.

[Correction: Biola student and blogger Emily writes in the comment section: "So you know - all the speakers got a personal assistant, it wasn’t because we thought it was your first time. " Thanks, Emily!]

The panels were “Bridging the Christian Divide,” “Bridging the Political Divide,” and “The New Media Political Revolution.” I participated on the latter two. I’m told that audio of all three panels will be available for download. When those are up, I’ll let you know.

I attended the conference all day on Friday but didn’t attend on Saturday because I wanted to spend some time with my sister. Long-time readers may remember that she moved to California last year to attend John MacArthur’s Master’s College. (She graduates next May!) We did one of the most tourist-y things around: We drove down Sunset Boulevard, through Beverly Hills and Bel Air, and gawked at the houses.

More pictures below!

The only breakout session I attended was “Maximizing Ministry in New Media,” led my Mark D. Roberts (pictured below in left photo). He said that he’d gone into new media and ministry “kicking and screaming” because he was suspicious of the downside of media. Mark thought focusing on media and the “big screen” took the focus off people.

But he had a change of heart. A medium like blogs is just another way to reach people, and I believe Christians should utilized this valuable tool. Mark said his new media model is the Apostle Paul, who wrote letters to all the churches. Paul was reaching out to the churches through correspondence. He pioneered, in a way, the use of letters to do the work of forming, shaping, and pastoring a community.

Mark said he got into blogging because Hugh Hewitt (pictured in right photo) said he should. He discovered that blogging gave him a chance to discuss things he wouldn’t preach about. For instance, he reviewed “The Passion of the Christ” on his blog and received lots of feedback. What you put on a blog is “alive” and continues to be useful, Mark said. Blogging is an opportunity for communication outside the church. For instance, through his blog, he had e-mail discussions with a Jewish professor about “The Passion of the Christ.” The professor opened up and expressed how afraid he was for his children about what he perceived as anti-Semitism.

Mark says he puts up devotionals and other things he believes will help people. He asked, “What are ways we can communicate? How can we be creative?” Mark gave us an example of his creative communication. He posted a picture of a sunflower (no text) because he loved the intricate beauty. “Yellow argument for the existence of God.” He next posted a picture of a rose, the aesthetic argument for the existence of God. I liked it.

One theme that emerged on the panel “Bridging the Political Divide” was that the organizers invited “liberal” Christians and other non-conservatives, but they chose not to attend. I didn’t learn until later that John Mark Reynolds, blogger, professor at Biola, and GodBlogCon organizer asked those whose particular brand of theology was unknown to agree to a certain confession of faith. I can’t remember what that was, but John Mark said some refused and decided not to show up. More on that when the audio is available.

This year’s conference was much smoother than last year’s, but it didn’t get the same attention from the media. There was no AP reporter this year, and I haven’t read a single story about the conference.

I have to give a special shout-out to Crossway Books for giving us copies of The ESV English-Greek Reverse Interlinear New Testament: English Standard Version. I’ve always wanted an English-Greek interlinear Bible.

It’s a wonderful feeling to be around other Christians, openly praying and talking about Christ. Something as small as praying over food is so much easier when everyone at the table is a Christian. Each of us comes to Christ by a different path, and those paths converge when we become members of one glorious body.

Thanks for inviting me, John Mark, and thanks to all the students who volunteered to drive us around and help us carry our stuff. Though I’m sure they were quite busy and stressed organizing all those bloggers, their smiles and pleasant attitudes befitted them as maturing (and patient) disciples of Christ.